a few question about heat shrink, please help!

[diablo9]

Hi, I am looking at heat shrinks but I realize that to use them I might need a heat gun, which costs about $100. Can I just use cheap lighters instead?
How do you guys use heat shrink?

 

[nikongod]

use a lighter, but be carefull. if you "burn" the actual tube it looks like garbage, and dosnt hold the wires as well.

just use the flame to warm up the tube. practice on something worthless.

 

[diablo9]

aha, I found this:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=370-275
pretty cheap, any thoughts? it should be OK for heat shrink tubing, right?

 

[grandenigma1]

I picked up a very nice heat gun for like $15-20 at Lowes or Homedepot forget which now... its worth a trip

 

[diablo9]

that's worthy of tring! I have a homedepot very nearby.

 

[Sinbios]

I just use a lighter, it won't damage the heatshrink unless you hold it there for like 5 seconds. If it's not shrunk enough after 3 seconds, just stop and let it cool, and then start again.

 

[BradJudy]

Before buying a heat gun, I would set my oven on broil and place the item near the top heat element. You have to be careful not to burn yourself though. It's definitely way easier and safer with a heat gun (although be careful with those too - as the name implies, they get hot

).

 

[diablo9]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradJudy Before buying a heat gun, I would set my oven on broil and place the item near the top heat element. You have to be careful not to burn yourself though. It's definitely way easier and safer with a heat gun (although be careful with those too - as the name implies, they get hot ).

really? so you take the finished IC with heat shrink tube on it, and put the whole thing into oven? wonder how that tastes...

I remember that melting temp of solder is somewhere around 200 degree, do you guys worry about solder gets melted by heat gun?

 

[amb]

If you have Fry's Electronics stores in your area, they carry heat guns for heat shrink use. Here is a selection from their online store (outpost.com):
http://shop1.outpost.com/search?sear...tring=heat+gun

 

[skyskraper]

the solder isnt getting anywhere near 200c of direct heat.

i used lighters and ovens etc for ages then i finally got a heat gun, cost me less then $10usd, so much easier to use. defn worth the spend even if you don't plan on using it regularly.

 

[diablo9]

for $10? aha, I'll check with Frys and HD, both.
If I use heat shrink, definitely buying a heat gun, since it's not quite pricey as I thought.

 

[eVITAERC]

Shouldn't a hair dryer work as well as a stop-gap measure? I used one before and it worked OK for small projects

 

[amb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eVITAERC Shouldn't a hair dryer work as well as a stop-gap measure? I used one before and it worked OK for small projects

Hair dryers don't usually get hot enough for this purpose.

 

[diablo9]

I guess the output pipe of heat gun is smaller than hair dryer so that it won't overheat the adjacent components. my 02

 

[darkisz]

I've used a $5 soldering iron with a crappy tip with relatively good results. I'm sure a heat gun would be easier and faster, though.

I've gotten a hair dryer to work before, but it took forever. Lighters work ok for me, but I usually end up burning the heatshrink or my thumb. D'oh!